street photography

The beauty of decay

In the center of Catania, magnificent buildings and historical areas are ondemned to ruin due to decades of mismanagement and shortsighted politic.Somehow, this mix of beauty and decay makes the city interesting. What would there be behind this door? A wasteland or some once elegant cortile? Or both, as it unfortunately happens in many places rich in history of the city?

Some architectonic jewels are just abandoned to carelessness and degradation except for the efforts a few entrepreneurs as here on the piazza dei Duca di Genova, with old palaces next to old abandoned shops who could offer a chance for people wanting to create small businesses, so close to the harbour.

Fortunately, some islands of revival are there, showing that it’s still possible to exploit intelligently the typical traditional character of Catania, as in vivid via Filomena, where both elegant pubs and shops and old tailors bottege work next to each others creating a nice inspiring atmosphere at every hour of the day…or night.